Kokomo Man Sentenced For Illegal Possession of Firearm Posted to Instagram
A Violent Felon in Kokomo has been Sentenced to Over Five Years in Federal Prison After Posting Instagram Pictures of Himself Illegally Possessing a Firearm. According to court documents, in March of 2021, investigators with the Kokomo Police Department Violent Crimes Task Force began an investigation into 24-year-old Bradley Morgan after becoming aware of Instagram posts by Morgan, showing him pointing firearms at the camera. Morgan was known to be a convicted felon, on probation, and had an active warrant at the time of the discovery.
Stephen Brand, current chairman of the board of the Greater Muncie Chamber of Commerce and President of the Muncie Sanitary District board hopes to have another title to add to his name: Delaware County Commissioner. According to the Star Press, Brand launched his campaign for county commissioner last Thursday. At that time, Brand addressed his recent run-in with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco. Firearms and Explosives over firearms confiscated from his Cowan home in Feb. of 2023. Brand said he has not been accused of doing anything illegal by the federal government. He told The Star Press that the firearms were a family gun collection started by his father. The collection includes firearms owned by his children and guns from various countries. Brand said the federal government has returned about 75 percent of the gun collection. Incumbent Delaware County Commissioner James King occupies the commissioner’s seat Brand is seeking. Brand was the former General Manager at Magna and is now retired.
A new study released by Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch with the Indiana Destination Development Corporation (IDDC) shows the Indiana tourism industry’s growing momentum and continued positive economic impact. Total Indiana visitor volume grew 4.5% in 2022 to 80.8 million person-trips. Visitor spending grew by 16% to $15.1 Billion. And Indiana tourism supported 200,000 full and part time jobs.
Heart of Indiana United Way has announced the opening of a new Request for Proposals tailored to organizations serving counties within our region. This grant cycle is part of their ongoing commitment to fostering positive change and addressing critical issues in the Heart of Indiana region. The RFP encompasses funding opportunities for programs in focus areas aligned with Heart of Indiana United Way’s mission, including education, financial stability, and community resilience in the following counties: Delaware, Henry, Fayette, Madison, and Randolph. Detailed information about the Request for Proposals, including eligibility criteria, application guidelines, specific focus areas, and link to apply can be found on their website at www.heartofindiana.org/rfp.
Cornfed Roller Derby will hold their Season 11 home opener on Saturday, February 17th, 2024 at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in the Memorial Building. In the first of two games, the Cornfed Roller Derby All-Stars will take on the Louisville Roller Derby All-Stars. In the second game, the Cornfed B-Team, the newly renamed Killer Kernels, will battle Louisville’s Bourbon Brawlers. Doors open for this doubleheader at 4:00 p.m. with a 5:00 p.m. start time for the first game. Tickets at the door are $15 per person or $12 in advance through Square or from any Cornfed Roller Derby skater.
To help couples find the most wedding-friendly destinations, WalletHub compared more than 180 of the biggest U.S. cities across 26 key indicators of cost-effectiveness, convenience and enjoyment. The number one best place to get married? Orlando, Florida. Las Vegas came in at number 2 with Miami, Atlanta, Knoxville and New Orleans all in the top 10.
The Muncie Action Plan’s Annual Community Meeting will take place this evening at 6:00 p.m. The public is invited to join MAP at Minnetrista’s Indiana Room to hear from each of MAPs four task forces as they share the work completed during 2023.
Ball State University will Host Two Community Presentations About the Village Revitalization Plan. The first presentation—for students, faculty, and staff—will be held at 6:00 p.m. February 12th at Pruis Hall on Ball State’s campus. Parking will be available in the New York Parking Garage. The second presentation—for the general public—will be held at 6:00 p.m. February 13th, at the Cornerstone Center for the Arts. The event will be on the third floor in the Legacy Room. Parking will be available in the Cornerstone Center for the Arts parking lots off Washington Street. Ball State’s Village revitalization plan will create a best-in-class, multigenerational district driven by arts and culture, entertainment, and innovation with a new select service hotel, new dining, retail, service, living, and gathering options.
IBJ reports DJ-producer Excision will headline the Indy 500 Snake Pit, the annual electronic music festival presented at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The infield party on May 26 will showcase Excision and four other DJs before and during the 108th running of the Indy 500, track officials announced Tuesday. Canadian artist Excision, otherwise known as Jeff Abel, has amassed more than 2 billion online streams for his music. Abel founded the Lost Lands music festival, presented each September in suburban Columbus, Ohio, since 2017. The Snake Pit event, which debuted in 2010, is staged inside Turn 3 at the track.
An Indiana Senate panel has unanimously advanced a bill out of committee that would prohibit health insurers from requiring prior authorization for routine medical services, federally approved prescription drugs, emergency health care and other services.The move comes as the federal government and private insurers are trying to shorten the timeline for approving medical care for millions of Americans for a wide range of procedures, from surgeries and specialty care to CT scans and physical therapy. Many insurance companies require physicians and patients to get prior authorization for a covered service before the insurer will agree to pay for that service. The bill would also eliminate prior authorization requirements for emergency services, routine care and common prescription drugs, according to an IBJ report.
Bethel Pointe Health and Rehabilitation Center received Align’s Workplace Excellence Award for their dedication to workforce engagement during 2023. The award was presented to select Align customers who completed an employee engagement survey in 2023, had a minimum 25 percent response rate, and had a minimum of 80 percent of survey participants respond either Excellent or Good to the statement Rate us as a place to work.
Friday is the 23rd annual National Wear Red Day to raise awareness about heart disease. Wear Red Day is always the first Friday in February, which is American Heart Month. By wearing red, you can help raise awareness that heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, responsible for 1 in 3 deaths. A majority of cardiac events may be prevented with healthy lifestyle choices. For more information visit www.heart.org/WearRedDay.
A city or town in Indiana can’t prevent residents from beekeeping — but homeowners associations still can. A state House bill, HB 1337 , aims to change that. Under the bill, home owners associations wouldn’t be able to keep people from having beehives as long as they’re actively maintained for honey and adhere to other Indiana laws.
Fox 59 reports Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb has issued an executive order postponing the implementation of web streaming requirements for public meetings and hearings until the beginning of September. The order announced that the implementation of Indiana Code 4-22-2-17, which will require that public meetings or hearings featuring public feedback be streamed on the state’s website, has been delayed until September 1st. Holcomb’s order also stipulates that the Office of Management and Budget will continue working alongside the Indiana Office of Technology to determine “how and where the webcasts will be available, how agencies will provide opportunities for the general public to attend and comment remotely, and where the notices of upcoming webcasts will be posted.”
Experts at GasBuddy say attacks in the Red Sea have caused oil prices to swing back to highs we haven’t seen since November. However, gas prices are currently on the decline again. Here in Indiana, the state’s average dropped 12 cents in the past week. That settles the average back down below the three-dollar mark at $2.94. While Hoosiers are seeing lower prices now, experts say it won’t last. The fuel forecast shows large increases in mid-February, which are expected to continue until April or May.
A Muncie woman was arrested on a child molest charge over the weekend. According to Fox 59 and court documents, 29-year-old Elizabeth Curtis has been preliminarily charged with one count of child molestation, a Level 3 Felony. Police reporting on the case indicated a child told investigators Curtis had touched them inappropriately. The child was able to demonstrate the exact manner in which Curtis touched them. The maximum penalty for a Level 3 Felony in Indiana is a 16-year prison sentence and a fine of up to $10,000.
A Tuesday social media post from the city of Muncie said the following: “Staff from the Muncie HUB and multiple agencies are on site at the Muncie Inn office this week to assist residents navigate housing options, understand how to qualify for monetary assistance, and access more hands-on help. We are continuing to meet with homelessness providers on a daily basis to ensure that the residents of the Muncie Inn have the resources they need. The residents of the Inn are not currently protected by tenant rights, but our providers are able to help qualify for services such as down payment and rent assistance.” The post follows one from 4 days ago that indicated the city would be shutting down the facility.
If you think your car insurance is more expensive than it use to be, you are probably right. Since 2020, car insurance rates in the U.S. have risen by a whopping 37%. The main reason? High-tech vehicles — aka anything remotely new — cost way more to repair. Numbers from Bloomberg indicate that the average repair bill from a car accident for a gas-powered care is around $4,437. For an electric vehicle, the number jumps to $6,618. The average collision insurance claim jumped 64% between 2018 and 2022—and in 2023, auto insurance rates climbed 20%, the biggest increase since 1976.
